I also wish the Minister well in his role. I previously held the role my colleague, Deputy McGettigan, now holds and I very much enjoyed it. It is an area in which the Minister could make great progress, not least with regard to accommodation. There are serious problems with digs accommodation. That is why my colleagues, Deputies Ó Broin and Farrell, introduced legislation in the area last year. I take on board what the Minister has said about this being an emergency measure and not wanting to shut down any streams of accommodation. However, it is absolutely essential that this sort of accommodation be registered. I hope the Minister has been listening to the students unions and the great work they are doing in this area. I also have great concern about the Atlantic Technological University's Castlebar campus. I met with the students union there two weeks ago. There is no accommodation. There is not even any accommodation in the pipeline for that campus. The student accommodation that was there is being repurposed. Where university towns have potential but there is no accommodation, the university cannot expand in the way it needs to.
Sentiment score: 0.11
I am asking about Mayo.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I did not have enough time on accommodation earlier. We need a change of thinking here. Student accommodation has to be an integral part of third level education and it has to be an investment. I do not think we need another strategy, even though I welcome that, because we have enough strategies on student accommodation to pave the way from here to Mayo. We need the investment. The effect of not having enough student accommodation on young people's mental health is huge. I am also acutely aware of the wider accommodation crisis and the cost of living for families. We see electricity bills and every other bill going up. The impact of having to look for student accommodation in the first place and then not finding any that is affordable is huge. It is putting huge pressure on families and students and is limiting their life opportunities. Students are making decisions based on where they can afford to live and that is not right.
Sentiment score: 0.08
12. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the process of getting qualifications obtained in Britain recognised in Ireland since the cessation of the mutual recognition of professional qualifications in 2021. [14517/25]
Sentiment score: 0.13
My question relates to the process of getting qualifications obtained in Britain recognised in this State, particularly since the cessation in 2021 of the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The Minister's Department serves as the national co-ordinator and the national assistance centre for EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. The directive provides the main legal framework to facilitate the mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the EU and EEA member states.
Sentiment score: 0.04
This is a real problem, including in a North-South context. We want to encourage student mobility across the island, which is how things are progressing. However, there appears to be a particular issue in regard to the health and social care professionals regulation body, CORU. In 2023, there were media reports that qualified Irish physiotherapists returning to Ireland from Britain, having attained their degree in one of that country's leading sports science universities, had to wait more than a year for their qualification to be recognised by CORU. Esther-Mary D'Arcy, professional adviser at the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, has said we are facing the worst recruitment crisis in the history of the State, with professional practices screaming out for staff. I accept that CORU must be thorough but the problem is the length of time the process is taking. If it is a capacity issue, more staff must be brought into the body. I am also dealing with the case of a constituent from Mayo who has a postgraduate certificate in education from a university in England. She is registered to teach by the Teaching Council but this accreditation body has deemed her to fall short in philosophy of education and sociology of education.
Sentiment score: -0.07
In that case, that person was paid less than her counterparts and is documented as an unqualified teacher. My question is: how can she be registered to teach with the Teaching Council yet be branded as an unqualified teacher? It just does not make sense. In October last, the Australian Government announced that doctors from Britain, Ireland and New Zealand will have their ability to practice in Australia fast-tracked under new changes introduced by regulators. Why can we not do the same here? We have such a shortage of human capital here to fill jobs. It is something we seriously need to consider. We are talking about a welcome home for our diaspora, The Gathering and the céad míle fáilte, but let us get the practical supports in place to enable our qualified citizens to return home and fill the thousands of vacant public sector posts across health, social care and other disciplines. Again, I will go back to our need for an all-island approach to what is happening in education and third level education. We need it streamlined across the island. We need to get ready for the constitutional change that is coming down the line.
Sentiment score: 0.10
Yes, to fast-track. They brought in a policy to fast-track. Why can we not do the same here?
Sentiment score: 0.13
It was for the medical professions - for doctors in particular. It was for doctors from Britain. The doctors from Ireland are being fast-tracked there; why can we not fast-track our own who are living abroad?
Sentiment score: 0.00